Local jewellery designers

Gary and chantell

Gary and chantell grew up in the eastern cape South Africa and then moved to KwaZulu Natal. Gary originally studied fine arts and played guitar for bands and before they even got a chance to play music on TV, he took up a career in jewellery.

Chantell travelled Israel for almost ten years before realising that jewellery was her destiny. Once she completed her honours in jewellery , Gary and chantell now work for themselves with the aim of manufacturing ‘wearable Art in the form of jewellery.’
This therefore allows them to combine their previous studies with what they love doing, making jewellery.
It is considered by them to be 'play' - both experimental and Soul.      
                                                                 
Materials they use for their jewellery making is both precious and unusual.
Their work depicts a combination of everything that they are inspired by, around them, a combination of worlds to be worn in remembrance of love and material things.

The images of the jewellery shown here is mostly of their own design, but a few pieces were commissioned by clients. All their jewellery is for sale depending on the availability of the materials. They also design with the client to make up the perfect piece for their customer.

Their whole aim is to inspire the client to wear a style that represents themselves, YOU, your persona. They dare the customer to be true to themselves and their uniqueness.

The couples business name is ‘Wild by design.’ They both use their incredible talent to design from their sole. They have been making jewellery for the past 7 years.
By using both precious and alternate materials they created wearable art. By wearable art they mean small scale sculpture. They understand the diverse world we live in and use jewellery to show that, this creates a variety of designs ion their work.
They explain that jewellery is like a marriage of nature and technology as its worn in celebration of the love of material things.
Chantell explained that she finds their jewellery a mix of materials and techniques therefore it allows then to explore different surface textures and ways jewellery can be worn. They try their best not to let other jewellers or designers influence them as they want to find their own style through colours, shapes, forms, light and both industrial and natural objects. When they find themselves struggling with coming up with designs they come together to brainstorm. They try come together and come up with unique and ‘out of the box’ jewellery that has elements to it that is funky and playful.

Wild by design has recently exhibited at the audi Joburg fashion week designing for Abigail Keats. They sell their jewellery at the Durban Esserwood craft Market on Saturday mornings, and at the Reads Gift Shop in The Zone, Rosebank, Johannesburg.

The couple now live in Durban so Chantell can continue her studies at the Durban university of technology. She is busy with her honours in design and Manufacture.

Personally I find this couple inspiring as they have such a unique approach to their designs. Jewellery to them is not just an object worn on the body, but a work of art.
I can relate to their geometric side of their jewellery as it has a similar feel to the way I like to design.

Materials used include: precious and non precious metals, wood, acrylic, crystal, glass, precious and non precious gemstones, resin, rubber, fossil, ceramic, bead, love and imagination.

 peridot silver

This piece may seem quite complicated to manufacture from the consumers side, but as a manufacturer you can see it was just a solid tapered shank which had the top section piereced out and two stones swiss set on either sides of the shank. Whats nice about this ring is that the shank isn’t solid and you can see your finger while wearing the ring.

the above ring consists of silver and smokey quartz. it seems quite simple to make as its just two sides that are pierced out of plate and textured and then there are four bars rivited to hold the ring together. personally i love these types of rings that are 'open' or have a double shank. ive manufactured quite a few of them, some with bars like in the picture above and some where the shank is filed at an angle at the bottom and soldered together creating a 'v' shape. i find these rings quite funky and modern.

 citrine tourmaline

This ring would be made in the same way as the previously mensioned ring. Carved out of wax then the rectangular setting would be made and soldered ontot he top of the ring and the two side stones are tube set.

pink tourmaline silver

The shape of this ring is very beautiful and unique. The easiest way to make this ring would be to carve it out of wax and cast it, but there are other ways like hollow constructing it but piercing out the two outer sides and then making a boarder to frame these two sides. You could also take a thick solid piece of silver and pierce out the shape of the ring. The stone looks tension set which means that the stone is held by the two outer walls of the shank.

they also manufacture neck pieces, bangles and other types of jewellery and example would be this neck piece consisting of silver, acrylic, nylon and cubics. they have many pieces consisting of various materials which creates a wide range of jewellery and a little bit of something for everyones personal preference.

 

i like how they have explored different metals and materials and explaored different ways of using them for example texturing the metals, it really creates a  personal style which i think it really important.

references
http://www.wildbydesign.co.za/Catalogue/tabid/56/AlbumID/372-67/Default.aspx
ces:
http://www.wildbydesign.co.za/Aboutus/tabid/57/Default.aspx

EMAIL:   info@wildbydesign.co.za
Contact:    076 823 4523